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Elbion
Elbion is the capitol of the Prythian Kingdom and seat of House Morian. It is located in the heart of the Prythian Kingdom, between the planets of Gallios and Dun Ronan. House Morian rules Elbion from the Four Towers, located in the capitol city of Norath. Hannis Morian is the Lord of Elbion. The Morian household includes his wife Roslyn, his son Elias, his sworn protecter sir Allyn Hywell, and his counselors Thaidan Tomas, Grand Astor Celdorin, Lord Ambrose Hywell and Jaspyr Kayne. Description Elbion is a small terrestrial planet with one small, white moon, orbiting a yellow sun. The Elbian lowlands are characterized by rolling hills, ancient dense forests, marshes, and small rivers. The highlands are filled with tall, steep mountains and white cliffs. It is often rainy in the lowlands; the clouds obscure the sun most of the year. The weather in the highlands is more pleasant than the lowlands, but the higher locations are extremely windy. Elbion is characterized by blue sky and white clouds. Elbion is noted for it’s many species of birds, some of which are larger than men. There are also many wild horses in the hills and fields and wolves and deer in the forest. The majority of Elbians are commoners, living in small houses made from straw, wood, or stone. The seats of the low lords are mostly castles built of stone in the Dawn Age or those built by the Athelion Empire. The Athelion architects were much more skilled than the Elbians; their buildings were perfectly straight and intricately decorated and made of white stone using a technique that has been lost since the collapse of the Athelion Empire. History According to legend, Elbian was inhabited by men before the arrival of Hadrius the Dawnbringer and the Vargothans. Known later as Barrenmen, the natives of Elbion lived in harmony with dark beasts known as the Gremen. After the Exodus and a long period of wandering, Hadrius settled his people on Elbion. Finding the Barrenmen hostile, the Vargothans warred against them and were pushed north. Upon reaching the northern most region of Elbion, Hadrius found his army trapped between the natives of the south and those of the north, who allied themselves with the Gremen. His army was nearly overpowered by their forces, but moments before defeat, an eagle flew down and delivered the Dawnstone to Hadrius. With its power, he defeated the Barrenmen and forced the Gremen to retreat into the stars. During the Dawn Age, Elbion was ruled by a line of Vargothans descended from Hadrius for nearly four thousand years. Many legendary Elbian heroes lived during this time and accomplished great feats, including King Harlas the Holy, who built the Four Towers in an attempt to find the goddess Elbia, and King Harald the Great, who assembled a group of knights to retrieve the lost Dawnstone. The Dawn Age came to an end shortly after Elbion was conquered by the rising Athelion Empire. Emperor Ondoris waged war against King Hannis and the Elbian forces for decades. The people of the Athelion homeworld, Bastia, which was then known as Athelia, naturally live longer than most men, so while Hannis was old and ill, Ondoris remained largely unchanged by the war. After conquering Norath, Ondoris fought Hannis in his chamber atop the King’s Tower, killing him and taking the Dawnstone. Most Vargothans swore allegiance to the Athelion Empire, but many fled south or escaped the planet in starships. Elbion was absorbed into the Athelion Empire, heralding the dawn of the Light Age. Elbion prospered under Athelion rule, and although Elbians were forced to adopt their republican system of governance, they were allowed to elect leaders from among their own; mostly those noble houses who were descended from the Vargothans. Elbion was later made capitol of the Athelion Empire and experienced a flourishing of population and culture. The Athelion Empire ruled prosperously for nearly four thousand years, until its eventual decline. After civil war, expensive military ventures, and religious and political disagreements, the empire was in decline. Many Vargothans who fled Elbion after being conquered returned some four thousand years later. They were permitted to settle on Elbion and many groups of them attacked and raided Elbian towns. The Athelion Empire eventually waged war against the Vargothans, drawing many of the ancient Elbian Houses to the side of the Vargothans. After many years of fighting, the Vargothans destroyed the Athelion army, invaded Norath, and killed Emperor Araclis. After a series of revolts in Norath, the Athelion Empire finally collapsed. The period after the fall of the Athelion Empire was marked by turmoil, power struggles, and invasions from the quickly emerging Khalmerai and Honjin Empire, who took advantage of the disorder among the planets. A number of leaders convened on Gallios to create a strategy to bring order to the planets and fend off the foreign invaders and it was decided that the planets would have to be unified under a single king. The position was offered to Eldon Alastor of Elbion, but he turned it down, ashamed that his ancestral seat had fallen to barbarians and corruption. He passed the role to Darrik Aryon of Dun Ronan, who accepted the honor. Darrik Aryon laid seige to Norath for one year before he was injured in battle. On his deathbed, he told his followers to continue the fight in the name of his unborn son. His followers fought for three long days after Darrik died while his wife Lyona struggled in labor. On the dawn of the fourth day, the Aryon forces took Norath and Arik Aryon was born. The planets were unified under the Aryon Kings, forming the Prythian Kingdom and ushering in the dawn of the Twilight Age. Elbion was ruled by House Alastor for most of this time, although they were periodically challenged by the Raptor Lords of House Etharos and Icaron. In 384 AD, the rule of House Alastor was ended, when the family was exterminated in the Fire of the Tower. Hannis Morian, cousin to Lord Jon Alastor, then became Lord of Elbion and has ruled since. In 314 AD, Lord Gerold Alastor formed an alliance along with Lord Wyllas Ansylon and Lord Arthor Halfast. Together, they defeated the Crimson King of Canthos. The Crimson King attempted to conquer the entire Prythian Kingdom, but was stopped by the three lords’ alliance on the field of Norath. The Crimson King slew Lord Gerold’s horse and cut off his sword arm, but Gerold retrieved his sword and slew the Crimson King, ending his conquest, and earning the name Gerold One-Wing. Notable Locations The Four Towers, castle and seat of House Morian, located in the city of Norath. Built in the Dawn Age, the towers are of grey stone and reach high into the clouds. People & Economy Elbion is the sixth most populous planet in the Prythian Kingdom, with approximately 4.5 billion inhabitants. The people of Elbion are born with the ability to heal quickly from wounds and illness as well as the ability to see farther than most. On average most Elbians are of middling height, with brown hair and eyes. Elbians travel mostly on horseback, and also use horse-drawn carts and riverboats. The primary exports of Elbion are iron, wool, and wood. Military The Elbian army, known as the Shields of Elbion, is commanded by Lord Ambrose Hywell of Highcastle. Elbian soldiers are most proficient with the sword, using mostly the longsword, though the Elbian army makes use of archers and cavalry. Elbion is capable of raising an army of 400,000 infantry, 100,000 archers, 5,000 knights, and 20,000 horse cavalry. Culture & Religion Elbian culture is heavily centered around birds and the sky. The majority of Elbian dead are buried in marked graves, but those who wish to follow the tradition of the Old God perform a Sky Burial. In their practice, the corpse is placed in a high place and devoured by birds to return to the sky. The Ancient Kings and the Lords of Elbian are entombed at the top of the Sun Tower in the Cloud Crypts. The majority of Elbians adhere to the Aurean religion. Very few adhere to the Athelion Gods any longer, but a number of Elbians inhabiting the rural regions, including the Mountain Clans, worship the Old Goddess, Elbia. Depicted as a winged woman with the talons of an Eagle, Elbia is queen of the birds and created wind and weather. According to legend Elbia delivered the Dawnstone to Hadrius, who used it to defeat the Gremen and conquer Elbion.